The Hidden Lycan Prince

CHAPTER 4

“Why was your phone turned off, Ayame?” Mom’s furious voice dripped into my ears as I entered the front yard of my house. She was standing on the doorstep today. “Is that a new way of showing how important you are?”

“There is nothing like that, mom….” I said with an exhausted sigh. “My phone broke…”

“What!? How in the world did you manage to break your phone?” Her face flushed with anger. “Do you know how expensive phones are? Do you think money grows on trees?”

I held my breath, trying to rein in the frustration bubbling through me. Biting the inside of my cheeks, I stated, “Don’t worry, I have given it for repair. I should get it back by tomorrow.”

“If your phone is not fixed tomorrow, don’t bother to return home.” She snatched the keys out of my hand and slammed the door shut.

“As a punishment for ruining something so expensive, you will stay outside tonight.” Her voice trailed, followed by the sound of receding footsteps.

I knew better than to knock at the door. With a resigned sigh, I settled on the staircase. I unzipped my bag and took out my textbook to read, but as expected, mom turned off the lights.

My gaze drifted to the streetlight. I could go over and sit there to study, but for some reason, I just didn’t feel like it. Leaning against the door, I drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, I set off early so that I could visit the repair shop on the way. It was a small shack located near the bus stop that remained open 24*7.

“Uncle Spencer, how’s my phone?” I asked, tapping my foot anxiously.

“You are really lucky, Ayame. My son was home last night, and he managed to fix it.” His lips curved into a small grin. “It will be fifty dollars.”

“Uncle… ummm….”

“No way! I am not giving credit again, Ayame,” he snapped even before I could finish. “I want hard cash.”

“Uncle please… I really need the phone….” With a sigh, I took off my watch and placed it on the counter. “How about I leave this with you instead?”

His eyes narrowed as he picked up the watch and examined it carefully. His gaze drifted from me to the watch and then to me again. “Fine, take your phone.” He took out my phone from the glass case and slid this across the counter. “I am doing this only because you are still a student. Spencers don’t borrow or lend.”

“I understand, Uncle.” I flashed him a wry smile. “I will be back with your money by this weekend.”

Sitting on the bus, I analysed the pictures I had clicked. They were enough to create a huge riot. My heart clenched looking at Tristan’s bloodied face. If I played the cards right, he would never have to suffer again.

***

I drew in a deep breath standing outside the classroom; my gaze fixed on Eric and Edmund, who were sitting with their legs stretched on the tables.

“Eric…” My voice shook despite my best effort. “I wanted to talk to you and Edmund alone.”

His expression turned frosty and his jaws clenched. However, he beckoned everyone else to leave the classroom.

“You are a brave little thing, aren’t you?” Edmund said, walking over to me. “You dared to turn up here even after threatening us with your so-called photos.”

“I…I….”

“Yes, did the cat get your tongue now?” Edmund’s lips curved in a sneer as he drew closer. “Tell me why you are here.”

“I… I wanted to offer you a deal.”

“Is that so?”

“Y… yes…. I will delete all the photos if you promise not to target Tristan anymore.”

He walked towards me with slow and deliberate steps. With every step he took, I backed away two steps. Soon, my back was pressed against the wall.

He placed his hands on either side of me. “Who is Tristan anyway? Is he your boyfriend?”

“Umm… no… I just don’t want him to suffer….”

He pulled away abruptly and stretched out his palm. “Fine, give me your phone and we will spare him.”

“Are you sure?”

“We Royals are men of honour, kitten. If Edmund has said he won’t target Tristan, he won’t.”

Drawing in a deep breath, I handed over my phone to him. My heart was thrumming like crazy at this point, but I had to keep my cool.

His face scrunched as he turned over the phone with his forefingers, “What is this model, anyway? It looks like it is decades old.”

My face flushed, and I averted my gaze. It was a secondhand phone passed down by my mother. So, it might actually be quite old.

“I have deleted all the pics, but….” His eyes narrowed. “Who is to say that you don’t have any more copies?”

“I have a solution for this, too.” I stated, taking back my phone and opening a document. “We can sign an agreement. I have already drafted it.”

Eric snorted as he whisked the phone from my hand. “You even drafted a legal agreement, seriously?”

I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. “The agreement is beneficial for both of us. So, why don’t you just sign it?”

“This agreement is made between Ayame Hills on hand and Eric and Edmund Grayson on the other part.” Eric started reading loudly as he moved around. “Ayame agrees to never expose; speak, write, or talk about the day when Tristan was bullied. In return, Eric and Edmund Grayson promise to spare Tristan for all forms of bullying.”

Edmund burst into a heart peal of laughter. “You are altogether something else, Ayame Hills.” He took the phone from Edmund and inserted his digital signature.

“Why did you do that?” Eric scowled, smacking his brother’s arm.

Edmund’s eyes lit up with an evil glint. “Don’t we have a better target now, brother? Why bother about that coward?”

Eric’s eyes twinkled, and his lips curved in a victorious smirk. “You are right. This is gonna be fun.” He stated, scrawling his sign on the document. “Here you go, Kitten.”

I had this nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. But I couldn’t lay a finger on what it was. I could only thank them and leave the room; hoping against hope that my plan had worked.

***

The next morning…

When I entered the locker room, I saw Sierra taking out something from her cabinet.

“Sierra!” I called out as I walked over to her, glad to have bumped into her. I wanted to tell her how I had ensured Tristan’s safety. But, Sierra froze, hearing my voice.

She hastily stuffed everything into her locker and threw a piece of paper at me. Then, she bolted for the door before I could ask for anything.

I shrugged and picked up the paper. The words scrawled on the paper made me furrow my eyebrows. ‘Don’t open your locker.’

The frown on forehead deepened. What was wrong with Sierra today? Why did she not want me to open the locker and why bother writing a note when she could just say it to me?

A long, drawn sigh left my lips. The more I tried to figure out my classmates, the more confused I became. I fidgeted with my keys for a moment; wondering if I should take her advice and avoid the locker altogether.

I was about to leave but then I remembered that I had to submit the herbarium today. Drawing in a deep breath, I turned the key in the locker.

“Ahh!!” A scream inadvertently left my lips seeing the state of my locker. All my stuff was drenched in thick, red liquid. My breath got caught in my throat and I staggered. Why was there so much of blood in my locker? Who would have….”

My stomach heaved, and I hastily closed the door. Eric’s devious face flashed in my mind. So, that is why he had agreed to my deal so quickly. He had decided to make me his target instead of Tristan.

Leaning against the wall, I closed my eyes; taking deep breaths to compose myself. I had been so obsessed by the idea of keeping Tristan safe that I forgot to consider my own situation.

Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to regret my decision. If they wanted to target me; so be it. I would just have to deal with it. Letting out a puff of air through my mouth, I opened the locker again.

“Aish! Why did it have to be blood?” I muttered, pulling out my book using my forefingers. My nose twitched as the characteristic scent of ink tickled my nose.

Rubbing my forefingers over the surface of my book, I brought it to my nose. It was red ink, just like I had thought. With a sigh of relief, I got to work cleaning up the mess created for me.

I missed an entire period due to this. Other than that, everything was alright, or so I thought. Unaware of the elaborate plans the Royals were hatching, I went to the library during my free period.

Choosing a quiet corner, I settled down; stretching my arms and flexing my neck. I had managed to save my herbarium, but the chemistry project was totally ruined.

“Stupid Ink!” I grumbled, pulling out fresh sheets of paper from my bag. It was a good thing that my memory was sharp. It would have been such a pain to do all that research again. With a sigh of resignation, I immersed myself in rewriting my project.

Crash! Thud! The sound of something smashing pierced through the silence of the library. Startled, I raised my head to find a bookshelf crashed against the wall.

My gaze drifted around the library to find that I was all alone.

“Hello! Is anyone there?” I called out, walking over to the fallen bookshelf. “The… The bookshelf just fell out of the blue….”

My heart started pounding as the responding silence filled me with a sense of dread. Drawing in a deep breath, I called out again, “Hello! Mr. Smith! Uncle Robert! Is anyone there?’

There was still no reply. I licked my dry lips and wiped my clammy hands against my skirt. “Hello! If anyone can hear me, please respond. I… I am trapped here in the library. The shelf… the bookshelf has fallen, and it is blocking the doorway….”

Still no response. My gaze drifted to my wrist reflexively, only to be reminded of the absence of my watch. I hurried back and took out my phone. The screen flashed with the time: 3:00 pm. I had to get out of here within thirty minutes if I didn’t want to be late for work.

With shaking hands, I called Sierra. The dialing tone sounded for a quarter of a second and then it blanked out. Letting out a frustrated groan, I tried again; then again. The call never got connected.

I held the edges of the shelf and tried to move it to one side, but it was just too heavy. It didn’t budge even when I crouched next to it and shoved it with my entire body.

My heart went numb, and I staggered; slumping to the floor with a thud. Those Royals, they were really targeting me; weren’t they? The empty library; fallen bookshelf; now signal jammers.

I held my head in my hands. Why couldn’t I have just kept my head down and minded my own business?